My name is
Christa Lei Montesines Sonido

and I'm a hopeful future physician.

Hi, my name is Christa Lei M. Sonido! I recently finished coursework as a post-baccalaureate pre-medical program at Mills College. I previously split my time serving as an Organic Chemistry and Immunology graduate assistant to both post-baccalaureate and undergraduate students at Mills College, and working at UCSF as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Department of Physiological Nursing. When I’m not studying, I write personal essays about love, life, health and everything in between. Some of my favorite topics are about mental health and medicine, but I also write about dating and travel, amongst other topics. I’m an avid reader and writer. If you’re interested in my writing, feel free to check out my blog or contact me to request writing samples.

If you’d like to find out more about my professional life, scroll down or download my CV above. If you’d like to find out more about my personal life, feel free to read my blog or check out my social media links!

Interests

My interests are varied and shared across the fields of medicine, psychology, and pop culture. These are a couple of my personal and professional interests that I’m passionate about.

mHealth

dogs

food

psychology

LGBT*QIA+ Rights

social determinants of health

global health and medicine

preventative health and medicine

psychosomatic medicine and the intersection between mental and physical health

Relevant Work Experience

Oct. 2016-Mar. 2017

Clinical Research Coordinator

UCSF

I was a part time (50%) Clinical Research Coordinator. I worked on symptom management clinical studies with cancer patients who have shown chemotherapy-induced neuropathy under the supervision of the clinical and research staff.

Aug. 2016-May 2017

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Mills College

Part-time lab teaching assistant for Organic Chemistry 105, 106 & 107.
I was awarded a competitive graduate teaching assistant scholarship award and chosen as one of two recipients in the subject of Organic Chemistry. I help facilitate learning in the subject of Organic Chemistry for both undergraduates and post-baccalaureate pre-medical students.

Program Site Coordinator & Health Educator/Patient Advocate

Ohana Medical Missions

Help coordinate and prepare the academic scholarship competitions; compile exam
materials and questions for participants; judge and coordinate the singing competition;
assist and shadow doctors during health care service component (taking vital signs, patient
intake, triage) ; act as a health educator and advocate for diabetic patients. In our last
medical mission to Haiyan, served as a site and program coordinator.

I’m a qualified and adept junior researcher who has experience in qualitative and quantitative methods and specialises in interdisciplinary mental and physical health research. I also have a wide variety of clinical experience, which has allowed me to become a better researcher and hopefully, future clinician.

Education

2014-Present

Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Certificate

BA Psychology (summa cum laude)

Psychology

High School Diploma

After graduating from Punahou School, I decided to attend Creighton University as a Psychology major. After deciding it wasn’t the right fit, I sought a bigger city and transferred to DePaul University, where I graduated summa cum laude with my BA in Psychology (concentration: Community Psychology) and minored in Creative Writing. During my time there, I decided that I wanted to become a physician, so I applied to various post-baccalaureate pre-medical programs before deciding that Mills College was the perfect place for me to finish all my classes. Please download my CV for a complete and detailed list of relevant coursework.

Professional Skills

Tutoring70%

Qualitative Research90%

Writing85%

Editing65%

Medicine45%

Community Psychology80%

As a Community Psychology major (and member of the Society for Community Research and Action,) I’m qualified to help consult and conduct research to help better communities at large. I also specialize in tutoring various subjects (Psychology, Biology, English) and can help students reach their highest potential.

Availability Calendar

Unfortunately, I'm unavailable on this date.

This calendar is here to give you an idea for availability for potential job prospects or times to fit in tutoring– or if you’d like to just chat, this is here for that too!